HOUSTON -- The office of Congressman Steve Stockman Monday gladly met with local NASA employees to discuss the effects of the government shutdown and Obama administration funding cuts to NASA.

"With a wife who is a JSC employee I know better than most how important full NASA funding is and how many hits JSC employees have taken under Obama," said Stockman.

"I've been voting since Day One to keep NASA fully funded and to end the government shutdown. We've been voting as late as 1:00 a.m. to end the shutdown, but the Democrat-run Senate hasn't held a vote since September," said Stockman. "Our calls from JSC employees this week are about nine to one in favor of standing strong against Obama's budget."

"I've also led the fight to restore the billions Obama cut from JSC operations. We get more return on NASA than nearly any other agency and we need expand out investment in it," said Stockman.

Stockman also opposed Obama's proposal for sequestration of NASA funding. Stockman proposed an alternative to sequester that would fully restore NASA funds.

Stockman is also working to overturn Obama's closure of JSC's arc-jet facility, restore manned space flight, increase NASA's budget, extend use of the International Space Station to at least 2028, restore Mars missions and expand planetary probes.